Lubricating device for the axle bearings of railway vehicles



G. NEMETZ April 16, 1940.

LUBRICATING DEVICE FOR THE AXLE BEARINGS 0F RAILWAY VEHICLES Filed Dec.1, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l III/III 'IIIIIIIIII April 16, 1940.

G. NEMETZ 2,197,704

LUBRICATING DEVICE FOR THE AXLE BEARINGS 0F RAILWAY VEHICLES Filed Dec.1, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v/ m g Patented Apr. 16,194

LUBRICATING DEVICE FOR THE AXLE BEARINGS 0F EAIL WAY'VEHICLES GustavNemetz, Vienna, Austria, assignor to Alex. Friedmann, Vienna, AustriaApplication December 1, 1936, Serial No. 113,714

In Austria March 30, 1936 3' Claims.

This invention relates to a lubricating device for axle bearings ofrailway vehicles and has for its object to prevent the lubricating oilcontained in an oilsump from escaping through the lateral opening oropenings of the box through which the axle passes. Such an escape of oilmay occunespecially when the vehicle assumes an inclined position or issubjected to transversal shocks or is shaken vehemently in anotherdirection.

According to the invention, a chamber or a plurality of chambers isprovided adjacent to the opening or openings of the axle box throughwhich the axle passes, said chamber being separate from the chamber orroom containing the oil sump, and an-oil lifting or conveying device,preferably a rotating scooping disc, is provided to remove the oil fromsaid chamber or cham-" bers and to return it into the oil sump. By thismeans the" chamber adjacent to the opening of the box through which" theaxle passes is permanently drained or at least the oil is prevented torise beyond a predetermined level, sufficiently low toavoid the dangerof an escape of the oil through the lateral opening of the box throughwhich the axle passes.

It is a characteristic feature of the present invention that the saidoil lifting device which removes the oil from said separated chamber orchambers is a separate device and distinguished from the usual scoopingdevice provided in the axle-box to convey the oil from the oil sump tothe working surfaces of the bearing whereby a uniform and permanentlubrication of these surfaces is obtained, while the firstnnentionedlifting device merely serves for continually scooping out the oil whichhas entered said chamber or chambers as mentioned above.

In inner axle bearings in which a middle portion of the axle issupported there are two lateral openings in the axle box for the passageof the axle. In this case both openings may be provided with thechambers as above described so that both openings are protected againstoil escape. Both chambers associated with said openings respectively maybe connected, for instance by means of a channel, so as to formcommunicating vessels, and it is sufficient in this case to provide asingle oil scooping and throwing member which lifts the oil from bothchambers thus connected.

Some embodiments of the present invention are shown by way of example inthe accompany- 55} ing. drawings, in which:

(01. soa -s5) Fig. 1 is a partial sectional viewof an axle bearing, I

Fig. 2 is a cross section according to line 11-11 of Fig. 1,

Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical longitudinal sections through twomodifications of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section through a further modificationof the invention and- Figs. 6 and 7 are cross-sections according tolines VI- JI and VII-VII of Fig. 5 respectively.

In the embodiment according to Figs. 1 and 2, the axle 2 rotating withinthe bearing enters" the casing l of the axle box by the opening '5.Adjacent to this opening it a chamber 3! of troughor cup-shapeisarranged, which is separated from the oil sump "23 by means of thepartitionwall 32. Fixedly secured to the axle 2 is a scooping and oilthrowing disc 5 which dips into the oilaccumulating within said chamber,and which has such a size that only a small space is left between it andthe bottom of said chamber.

During operation the oil, especially that squeezed out at 8 between theworking surfaces of the axle and the brass 9, enters the chamber 3! fromwhence it is lifted by adhesionby the oil thrower disc 5. The oil thathas been lifted by said disc is thrown upwards and sideways against thewall of thejcasing l and then flows downwards along this wall throughthe passages 33, 33' formed between this wall and the partition wall 32back into the oil sump '23. By these means the oil penetrating into thechamber 3| during operation is removed therefrom and is returned to the,oil sump 23 and prevented from escaping through the axle opening 6.

According to Fig. 3 an oil thrower disc 5 is fixedly secured on a collar3 of the axle 2,, this disc dipping into the oil sump 23. The oil liftedby the disc 4 flows downwardly along the wall of the casing l towardsthe upper surface of the brass 9 and from there through oil channels tothe working surfaces of the bearing. At a distance from the disc ll, asecond disc 5 of smaller diameter is provided which works within achamber M separated from the oil sump by the partition wall 14'. Thechamber is is connected by the passage i? with a chamber l2, adjacent tothelateral opening 6 through which the axle 2 passes on the side whereit carries the hub l of a wheel. The oil escaping at 8 and 3 between theworking surfaces of the axle and the brasses 9 and 9 respectively isthrown into the chamber 12. by means of the oilthrower ring H. The oilentering into the chamber l2 and into the chambers l3 and [4 connectedtherewith is carried neath and around the opening 6 is separated away byadhesion to the disc 5 and is thrown upwards and sideways against thewall of the easing I. It flows along this wall back into' the oil sump23, as explained in connection with Fig. 2. A relatively small amount ofthe oil that has been lifted is supplied to the working surfaces of thebearing. The disc 5 always removes a sufficient quantity of oil from thechamber E4 to prevent the oil from rising beyond a predetermined levelwhich may be safely tolerated within the chambers IZ, l3 and M. Thislevel being relatively low, the danger that oil may escape through theaxle opening 6 is avoided at all events. v

In the modification shown in Fig. 4 an inner axle bearing is shown whichcarries a middle portion of the axle so that two openings 6 and It existthrough which the axle 2 has to pass. In such a case, each of theseopenings may be provided with a separate device according to Figs. 1 and2. Preferably, however, as shown in the drawing, the chambers l2 and i5adjacent to the openings 6 and it respectively are connected through thepassages 13 and It and through the channel 16 and a singlescooping disc5 is arranged which continuously removes the oil entering into thesechambers. By this means both openings 6 and H) are protected againstescape of oil by a single scooping disc 5. In other respects, thebearing shown in Fig. 4 is constructed and arranged in the same manneras that shown in Fig. 3.

The modification shown in Figs. 5, 6 and '7 refers likewise to an inneraxle bearing having two openings 6 and It for the passage of the axle.On the collar 3 of the axle 2 a scooping and oil throwing drum H issecured which is surrounded by an annular casing l9 within which thedrum l! is allowed to rotate. As shown in Fig. 6, the casing l9 is openat the top of the bearing so as to expose the upper part of the drum H.The oil that has been carried away by the drum I! from the, oil sump 23through the Opening 3 is conveyed into one of the pressure grooves 28 or20 provided within the annular casing I3, according to the direction ofrotation of the axle 2. Then the oil is supplied through one of thechannels 2! or 2! to the working surfaces of the axle brasses 9 and 9.

The wall 26 of the casing I8, running transversely to the axis ofrotation of the bearing, and the opposite end surface 21 of the casingis are guided between two vertical parallel walls 28 and 29 of the lowerportion I of the axle box so that the casing I9 is allowed to bedisplaced in a radial direction. The clearance existing between thecooperating surfaces of the casing 19 and the box portion l is as smallas possible so that the hollow space 22 enclosed by the casing isseparated from the oil sump 23 and thus serves the same purpose as thechamber 3| of Fig. 1. In order to secure an oil tight seal between thespace 22 and the oil sump 23, springs (not illustrated) may be providedwithin the openings 30 and 30 (Fig. 6), which are bearing against thewall 29 and pressing the casing l9 against the wall 28. As shown in Fig.5, the right-hand por- I tion of the space 22 is adjacent to the axleopening it, whereas the left-hand portion of the space 22 communicatesthrough the aperture 25 in the end wall 26 of the casing l9 and throughthe channel It with the chamber l2 locatednear the axle opening 6. Asshown in Fig. 7, the chamber I? which forms a trough or cup be- Duringoperation, oil enters into the chambers l2 and 22. The oil that escapesat 8 and 8' between the axle and the axle brasses 9 and 9' respectivelywill penetrate into the chamber [2. Most of this oil is thrown by theoil throwing ring 24 secured to the hub l of the Wheel upwardly andsideways against the walls of the casing I, I from where it flows downthrough the passages 33, 33' and through the channels 3 t, 34' (Fig. 7)back to the oil sump 23. Part of the oil is thrown down by the ring 24into the chamber I! from where it flows through the channel 13 and theaperture 25 into the chamber Certain quantities of oil, for instancethose leaking through between the surface 27 of the casing l9 and thesurface 29 of the casing I enter also into the right-hand part of thechamber 22. The oil thus entering into the left-hand and right-hand partof the chamber 22 is, however, instantly carried away by the drum I? andthrown upwards against the wall of the casing I from where it returns tothe oil sump 23. By this means oil is efiiciently prevented filling thechambers adjacent the openings 6 and HJ'to an extent which would permitits escape through these openings.

What I claim is:

1. In an axle bearing for railway vehicles a lubricating device,comprising a casing with an oil sump, a rotating oil conveying member,two parallel vertical guiding surfaces in the casing of the axle box,and annular casing surrounding said oil conveying member and slidable ina radial direction between said guiding surfacesof the casing of theaxle box, said annular casing being provided with grooves openingdownward into the oil sump and in which the rotating oil conveyingmember can dam up oil under pressure, channels within the axle box,connecting said grooves with the working surfaces of the bearing, theinterior of said annular casing being separated from the oil sump in thecasing of the axle box, and a chamber adjacent to the lateral openingfor the passage of the axle out of the casing, likewise separated fromsaid oil sump of the casing of the axle box and connected with theinterior of said annular casing.

2. In an inner axle bearing for railway vehicles a lubricating device,comprising a casing with an oil sump, two parallel vertical guidingsurfaces in the said casing, an annular casing slidable in a radialdirection between said guiding surfaces, an oil conveying memberrotating within said annular casing and subdividing the interior of thelatter into two "compartments, grooves within said annular casingopening downward into the oil sump and in which the oil carried by theoil conveying member accumulates under pressure, channels within theaxle box connecting said grooves with the working surfaces of thebearing, and two chambers sep- I arated from the oil sump in the casing,one each adjacent to one of the two lateral openings for the passage ofthe axle out of the casing of the axle box, each chamber being incommunication with one of said compartments of the interiorof the saidannular casing.

3. In an inner axle bearing for railway vehicles, a casing with an oilsump and having two lateral openings for the passage of the axle, twochamhers formed in the casing one disposed adjacent to each of the twolateral openings in the casing provided for the passage of the axle,said chambers being separated from said oil sump by partitions, said twochambers communicating with each other; but not with said oil sump inthe casing, an oil lifting device carried by the axle.

and operating within one of said two chambers I to! scoop the oiltherefrom, the chamber comprisingsaid oil lifting device being providedin its upper part with openings connecting the interior of this chamberWith the space of said casing.

GUSTAV NEMETZ.

